Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-12-15
SUCCESS AND FAILURE

tao oaoses Which Produce Them.
Let FARMER raise an extraordinary
crop OF any kind and he Immediately
brushes into print" to give an account
OF 1t Then farmers and newspaper
correspondents visit the place with
view OF ascertaining how it was pro-
duced. The soil is carefully examined
anu information obtained about the
kind and amount of fertilizers applied
to the land. The method of blowing
and cultivating and the time of plant
ing or sowing are learned. The
variety of seed is also ascertained and
the quantity used on given amount
OF land. In short. every detail is OBJ
tanned and placed before the farming
public. As with field crops so with
those produced in the garden. orchard
and vineyard. The method pursued
in producing those that are large are
! always carefully described. The like
is true in regard to success IN any de-
partment of stock-raising. keeping
poultry or producing honey. We al
ways learn who succeeds in any Of
these pursuits, and if we do not learn
| the exact cause of the success we learn
under what conditions the success was
obtained, and generally infer that they
are the proper ones to establish in all
cases. Tie method employed in pro-
ducing premium crop of any kind is
generally followed in the vicinity where
it was raised.
The causes of failure in any depart
meat of agriculture are not thus care
fully considered and patiently investi-
gated. The farmer who raises a very
poor crop of any kind is not anxious to
publish the fact to the world. Gener-
ally no one but his creditors and next
neighbors know much about it. He
fails to produce a paying crop of wheat.
oats, rye, corn or potatoes. or I'LL of
them. perhaps one year and perhaps
during a succession of years, bat no
one ascertains the cause of the failure,
and most likely no one attempts to
so. The farmer who raises poor crop
of any kind may occupy land similar to
that of his neighbors who raise excel
lent crops of the same kind. He may
apply the same kind of fertilizer to
his soil; may use the same kind of i'm
plements for preparing the land for
planting; may put in his seed at about
the same time and cultivate the grow
ing plants in substantially the same
way. but he fails in raising good crop
while they succeed. Cases of this kind
are not infrequent. The like is true
about failures in gardening, fruit pro-
ductiOn. stock-raising and Bookkeeping.
The worst failures often occur in the
same neighborhood where the most
splendid success is obtained.
1t is by no means strange that peo-
pie ale not so anxious to ascertain the |
causes of failure as of success. All are |
trying to succeed and are endeayoring
to learn how to do so. 1t is with farm
ing rs with other matters The bicgra-
phics of successful men are written
and are read by millions. No one
writes the biographies of men who fail
in war or in any peaceful pursuit. If
they were written and published few
would read them. We read the lives
of successful authors. warriors, in
ventors and financiers, thinking per-
haps that we may learn how to pro-
coed in order to reach the same dis
tinction they obtained. Every incident
in the lives of these men is rs familiar
TO us as those in the lives of the men,
bers of our own family. We know
their general habits. their tastes and
their methods of work and study. We
study these matters so carefully that
we think we know why they succeeded
But the farmer who fails in one or
in several things should try to ascer-
tain the cause of his failure He should
make it a matter of the most careful
study. His only hope of success in the
future depends on his discovering the
cause or causes of his failure. He can
not reform his methods till he under
stands what he has been doing in the
wrong way or at the wrong time. He
should find out why he failed to pro-
luce as good crops rs his neighbors,
who, apparently, had no special adj
7antages over HIM. He can remember
low he proceeded in preparing his
and, in seeding it and in managing it i.
rom seed time to harvest. He should
compare his methods of doing work !
With those of his neishbors who were
more successful. If he can not see for
himself why he failed he should obtain I
he opinion of his neighbors. He
hould not consider it humiliatine to
70 so, but part of his duty to HIM :.
elf Successful farmers always like J
o give advice and counsel when they I
re asked to do SO. They feel compli- I
nented at being invited to give in
truction. They will not criticise the {
Methods of others unless they know :,
hat their remarks will be kindly re- II
eived. But the seeker after informa-
cho 60 l